Rollo at Play eBook

Rollo said he did want them enough for that, and he
then went back and told Lucy what his mother had said,
and they concluded to read until the rain should cease,
and that then Rollo should go out into the garden.

They began to read; but their minds were so much upon
the pea-pod boats, that the story did not interest
them very much. Besides, children cannot read
very well aloud, to one another; for if they succeed
in calling all the words right, they do not generally
give the stops and the emphasis, and the proper tones
of voice, so as to make the story interesting to those
that hear. Some boys and girls are vain enough
to think that they can read very well, just because
they can call all the words without stopping to spell
them; but this is very far from being enough to make
a good reader.

Rollo read a little way, and then Lucy read a little
way; but they were not much interested, and thinking
that the difficulty might be in the book, they got
another, but with no better success. At last Rollo
said they would go and get their mother to read to
them. So they went together to her room, and
Rollo said that they could not get along very well
in rending themselves, and asked her if she would not
be good enough to read to them.

“Why, what is the difficulty?” said she.

“O, I do not know, exactly: the story is
not very interesting, and then we cannot read very
well.”

“In what respect will it be better for me to
read to you?” she asked.

“Why, mother, you can choose us a prettier story;
and then we should understand it better if you read
it.”

“I suppose you would; but I see you have made
a great mistake.”

“What mistake?” said both the children
at once.

“Why is it that you are going to read at all?”

“Why, you advised us to, mother.”

“Did I advise you to do it as a duty,
or as a pleasure?”

“As a duty, mother; I recollect now.”
said Rollo.

“Yes: well, now the mistake you have made
is, that you are looking upon it only as a pleasure,
and instead of doing it faithfully, in such a way
as will make it most useful to you, you are forgetting
that altogether, and only intent upon having it interesting
and pleasant. Is it not so?”

“Why—­yes,” said Rollo, hesitating,
and looking down; and then turning round to Lucy,
he said, “I suppose we had better go and read
the story ourselves.”

“Do just as you please,” said his mother.
“I have not commanded you to read, but only
recommended it; and that not as a way of interesting
you, but as a way of spending an hour usefully,
as a preparation for an hour of enjoyment afterwards.
You can do as you please, however; but if you attempt
to read at all, I advise you to do it not as play,
but as a lesson.”

“Well, come, Rollo,” said Lucy, “let
us go.”

So the children ran back to the entry, and sat down
to their story, taking pains to read carefully, as
if their object was to learn to read; and though they
did not expect it, they did, in fact, have a very
pleasant time.